The North American Society for Trenchless Technology has announced a comprehensive two-day virtual training seminar, the HDD Good Practices Course, scheduled for May 20-21. The sessions will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern Time each day.
This updated course is based on the 5th Edition of NASTT’s HDD Good Practices Guidelines and is designed to provide industry professionals with the most current standards and methodologies in horizontal directional drilling.
The revised curriculum introduces several critical updates to reflect the evolving landscape of trenchless technology. Key areas of focus include expanded recommendations for geotechnical investigations and revised guidelines for bend radius considerations. The course will also address new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirements for HDD crossings under levees, which is a vital update for practitioners working near critical infrastructure. Furthermore, attendees will learn about significant changes regarding the guidance, surveying, and tracking of HDD pilot holes.
Beyond design, the course delves into substantial changes in construction considerations. These include modern techniques for noise abatement, the intersect method, and specialized drilling procedures in rock formations. The training also covers pipe fabrication and support, alongside best practices for the inspection of HDD projects. Because of the extensive nature of the new material, the advanced design and calculation modules have been moved to a separate short course, allowing this two-day seminar to focus deeply on core good practices and construction fundamentals.
The instruction will be led by a panel of NASTT member volunteers, including Jason Lueke, national discipline leader for Trenchless Technology at Associated Engineering; Mary Neher, senior project engineer of Bennett Trenchless Engineers; and Matthew Wallin, principal partner and senior project manager of Bennett Trenchless Engineers.
Registration for the course is set at $300 for NASTT members and $350 for non-members. The fee covers the two-day webinar, all course handouts, and a Continuing Education Unit certificate issued by Louisiana Tech University. A digital training manual will be distributed to all registrants prior to the start of the course. While membership is not required to attend, participants must create a user account in the NASTT portal to finalize registration.
